Xi and Kim express hopes for greater ties between China and North Korea

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Xi and Kim express hopes for greater ties between China and North Korea June 8, 20268:49 AM ET By The Associated Press FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing Thursday, Sept. 朝鮮通信社/KCNA via KNS via AP hide caption toggle caption 朝鮮通信社/KCNA via KNS via AP SEOUL, South Korea — Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un underscored their commitment to deepen cooperation in a closely watched summit on Monday, as Xi made a rare visit to Pyongyang in a likely attempt to reassert Beijing's unique influence over its socialist neighbor. It's Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years.

Earlier Monday, he was given a lavish welcome upon arrival at Pyongyang's international airport. He and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, who broadly smiled and clapped. Xi later arrived at Pyongyang's main square, where a military honor guard and thousands of people, including children carrying balloons and hopping, staged a welcoming ceremony.

The Details

Buildings surrounding the plaza were draped in the two countries' flags, giant portraits of Kim and Xi and red-and-yellow banners welcoming the Chinese leader and celebrating the nations' "friendship and unity. " Sponsor Message Xi and Kim express their hopes for greater ties In a summit later Monday, Xi expressed China's willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade, agriculture, construction and technology, China's state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Xi said the two countries should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests, according to the report.

Kim said Xi's visit "clearly demonstrates how unbreakable" the North Korean-China relationship is, CCTV said. It cited Kim as saying that consolidating a new era of friendship between the two countries is the "unchanging strategic choice" of North Korea. Full details of the meeting weren't available.

But foreign experts earlier predicted the meeting would have big ramifications on bilateral ties and beyond, as they both seek to fully restore their traditional alliance in the face of separate confrontations with the U. Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September, after viewing a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders. Sway over North Korea could help Xi's dealings with US Xi's trip comes after his back-to-back summits with U.

What Experts Say

President Donald Trump and Putin in Beijing last month. Xi is expected to meet Trump again on a planned U. Sponsor Message Xi will try to demonstrate China's "sway over the Korean Peninsula" and "a leadership role in entire Northeast Asia in the age of strategic competition with the U.

," said Kwak Gil Sup, the head of One Korea Center, a website specializing in North Korea affairs.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.